WSSU students should expect tuition increase

By Lakisa LeakeArgus Reporter  Despite their best efforts, student protesters from across the state failed last month to stop a vote to increase tuition at universities within the University of North Carolina (UNC) system.   The tuition hike takes effect two years from now. The decision by the Board of Governors left some students in tears.   “It’s frustrating for a lot of us who can’t afford school,” said one Appalachian State University student. “But we will continue to fight this and go to the state legislature. I am not fighting for just me I am fighting for my friends and family who will be coming to UNC system in the future.”   Students from 14 of the 16 constituent universities within the UNC system gathered at the UNC General Administration Building in Chapel Hill for the Board of Governors meeting held on March 19, 2004.  Holding posters and banners, students stood outside of the General Administration Building, chanting slogans. The gathering was an effort to show the Board of Governors that students care about their education and take issue with any decision to raise tuition.   “We want the Board of Governors to see the faces of the students their decision is affecting,” said Dara Edelman, who is the student body president at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “We want them to talk to us and to see how important this decision is to us. The BOG can stop the tuition increase.”   In a show of solidarity, the UNC Association of Student Government held a press conference in which the president of the association, Jonathan Ducote, called on the legislature to get involved in the fight for quality education at a low cost. Ducote also noted that Governor Mike Easley supported keeping tuition rates low.   Ultimately, the Budget and Finance Committee voted to raise tuition for residents at UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University by $250, and all other campuses by $225. (what is this school: NCSA $450 for undergraduate level, and $750 for graduate level.)